Former press secretary Karoline Leavitt spent one of her first appearances as an official Fox News contributor, giving her surprising verdict on newly appointed Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
Miller has gained a reputation among White House colleagues as being abrasive and unpopular, but effective at enforcing President Donald Trump’s wishes.
Former Homeland Security official Miles Taylor described him as a “ferocious micromanager,” making late-night calls and unexpectedly inserting himself into meetings deep within the federal bureaucracy.
But Leavitt took to Fox News’ The Faulkner Focus to say that she disagrees, calling the coverage of Trump’s immigration hardliner “quite fascinating to see.”
Having worked with Miller for about seven years, she considers him “one of her dear friends,” who’s a “true believer” in Trump’s mission to “make America great again.”
“One of the greatest misconceptions you will read about in the fake news today is who Stephen Miller is, what the fake news believes that he is,” Leavitt told host Harris Faulkner. “He is a loyal person. And he’s actually quite kind behind the scenes. You won’t hear that from the Democrats or the losers in the fake news media.”
Miller was a driving force behind Trump’s first-term family separation policy, which tore thousands of migrant children from their parents at the southern border. A federal health official overseeing reunification efforts warned the policy risks “traumatic psychological injury” to children.
She went on to describe him as “widely respected by the staff” and having a great sense of humor.
That rosy assessment contrasts with accounts of Miller’s treatment of colleagues. Officials told The Atlantic that his daily conference calls routinely involved berating staff.
“He gets on the phone, and he yells at everybody,” the unnamed official said. “Nobody is spared from his wrath.”
More recently, the Daily Beast’s Sarah Ewall-Wice said former Capitol Hill colleagues “don’t talk about him as if they have fond memories.”
A White House official said Stephen Miller “gets on the phone” and “yells at everybody.”
“I don’t know anybody who would consider themselves a friend of Stephen Miller,” she told The Daily Beast during a Substack live.
Political analyst and Beast contributor David Rothkopf recounted interviewing a former Trump Cabinet-level official who called Miller “the biggest a–hole I’ve ever met.” Rothkopf, appearing on The Daily Beast Podcast, said people from the first administration “hated him,” and argued that his confrontational reputation could hinder his work as chief of staff.
But Miller seems to be viewed as effective.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller worked with former Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt for seven years under Trump.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Former DHS official Taylor also called him “formidable and very effective,” because he understands how government works. This, at least, is something Leavitt can agree with other former Trump administration staffers on.
“I think he’s going to do a great job for President Trump,” Leavitt concluded.
Faulkner signed off, thanking Leavitt for her “first time on Focus as a Fox News contributor.”
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